Chapter 14 #4
have imagined finishing a quilt as complex as Harriet’s Journey, and now here she was, contemplating another, even more challenging
project. It was truly amazing how her friends inspired her to attempt more than she’d ever thought possible.
Pausing for a moment to admire the view outside the window—yes, those were definitely small, icy snow crystals whirling about
in the air—she was about to leave the room when her cell phone rang. Shaking her head and smiling fondly, wondering which
of the Cross-Country Quilters had apparently forgotten to tell her something too urgent to wait, she took her phone from her
pocket and checked the caller ID—
And almost dropped the phone.
Stephen Deneford. Why in the world would he be calling her? They hadn’t spoken since she and Ellen had walked out of his office
years before, abandoning Prairie Vengeance and Julia possibly her career, or so Julia had assumed at the time—incorrectly, thankfully. All communications relating to
her contract had gone through Maury, and when she and Deneford crossed paths at industry events, they exchanged a polite nod
but nothing more.
She told herself to let the call go to voicemail, but curiosity won out.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she answered. “Hello.”
“Julia?”
“Yes?”
“Stephen Deneford here. “
“Oh, hello, Stephen. It’s been a while.”
“It sure has. Congratulations on your most recent Emmy.”
“Thank you,” she said graciously, wondering if he was referring to her win two years before, or if he wasn’t aware that she’d
lost to Allison Janney in September. “To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? Are you looking to cast the villain in Arctic Vengeance, or Savannah Vengeance, or one of the other Vengeance films? If so, you really ought to speak with Maury.”
“Oh, no, no, no. I got out of that franchise as soon as my contract permitted—” He made a harsh sound, something between a
laugh and a groan. “And it wasn’t soon enough.”
“You don’t say?” Julia suspected that it hadn’t been his decision.
“You’re close, though. I am calling about casting a role.”
“Is that right?” she asked warily.
“It’s a major feature film, a period piece, an adaptation of a gothic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho.”
She was impressed, but rather than admit it, she said, truthfully, “Sorry, I haven’t read it. Or even heard of it.”
“It was the Twilight of its day, but its day was seventeen ninety-four. Anyway, I’ve been searching for my Emily St. Aubert—the beautiful, young,
perpetually imperiled heroine—and I think I’ve found her.”
Julia paused, wondering if Ashton Kutcher was lurking somewhere nearby with a camera crew from Punk’d. No, she quickly decided. Sylvia would never allow it. “Congratulations,” she said carefully. “And the lucky girl is?”
“Paige Lyons, your costar.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” That made much more sense. “Paige is a lovely, exceptionally talented young woman. She’s been an excellent addition to our Patchwork cast.”
“That’s what I was hoping to hear. So, you wouldn’t have any qualms about entrusting a lead role in a feature film to her?”
Julia shook her head, perplexed. “Why are you asking me? No offense, Stephen, but we don’t know each other well and we didn’t
exactly part amicably. Did you like her audition? Did you do a chemistry check? If you want some insider information, you
must have someone else to ask.”
“I don’t, actually. I’ve never worked with Paige, and I don’t know anyone who has, aside from you. And you might not believe
this, but I trust your opinion.” He hesitated. “Look. You were right about Prairie Vengeance. I can’t blame you for quitting. If I’d kept the original script, I might have had a blockbuster.”
“Maybe so,” said Julia, a bit taken aback by his candor, although it was certainly gratifying to hear. “It’s impossible to
say. Maybe the story was better suited for television. I do hope you’ll share your newfound insight with Ellen Henderson.”
“Who?”
“Ellen Henderson,” Julia said, an edge to her voice. “The original screenwriter.”
“Oh, right, of course. Yeah, maybe I’ll do that. But anyway, about Paige. You’ve worked with her on a period piece, and you
think highly of her. Any red flags?”
“No, of course not,” Julia said, annoyed. What a thing to ask. A better question was whether Paige should be wary of red flags
from Stephen Deneford, even in this new penitent persona. “In my opinion, since you asked for it, you’d be lucky to get her.
But unless you’re shooting during our hiatus, you won’t be able to.”
“What do you mean? I thought Patchwork was canceled.”
“That’s not even remotely true,” she said, a trifle sharply.
“The series has not been officially canceled, unless it happened within the past few days and no one told me. We begin shooting season six in January, and I hope to have at least one or two more seasons after that. Paige plays a recurring character now, but I would expect her to become a season regular.”
“Oh, no, really? That’s terrible news.” Quickly he added, “Not for you, of course. For me. I really thought I’d found my Emily.
Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be. But like I said, if you can film while we’re on hiatus—”
“That wouldn’t work.” He heaved a sigh. “Well, I’m glad I called, even though you’re not telling me what I hoped to hear.
Appreciate the insight.”
“Stephen, listen,” she said, suddenly uneasy. “You should be talking with Paige and her agent, not with me.”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” he said briskly. “Thanks again. Let’s do lunch sometime.”
“That would be nice,” she said, but he had already hung up.
Julia slipped her phone into her pocket, thought for a moment, and took it out again. Her finger poised over the keys as she
considered what to do. Obviously she should call him back. She hit redial, then listened as it rang and rang until it finally
went to voicemail.
“Hey, Stephen, it’s Julia Merchaud,” she said. “I may have spoken out of turn. Would you please call me back as soon as you
get this message and let me explain? Thanks so much. Take care.”
She hung up and put her phone away. Should she follow up with an email, or would that simply make matters worse? No, she should
wait for his call. It was fine. It would be fine. When they spoke again, she would emphasize that Paige was a wonderful actor
and colleague, and Julia honestly couldn’t say for certain that she would be busy with Patchwork.
Ideally, she would be, but in that case Deneford should adjust his shooting schedule to accommodate her, because casting Paige would be worth it.
But that was something for Deneford, Paige, and her agent to work out among themselves. Julia had already interfered too much.
She checked her phone to make sure that it was fully charged and not on silent. It was perfectly fine, of course. Deneford
just hadn’t called, which made perfect sense, since it had only been a few minutes and he was a busy man.
Deneford would call, she assured herself as she headed back to the classroom. She was worrying needlessly. She’d set him straight,
and whatever happened next would be up to Paige.